Interest in application acceleration technologies is heating up -- and fast. In the last newsletter I mentioned briefly a new Gartner report that predicts end-user spending on application acceleration equipment will grow by nearly 40% in 2008, reaching $3.3 billion.

To capitalize on enterprise interest, vendors are readying new and improved wares. The latest is Akamai Technologies, which is looking beyond the acceleration of Web-based applications with its latest managed service offering.

Unveiled this week, the Akamai IP Application Accelerator service is designed to optimize the delivery of all classes of IP-based applications, not just those that are delivered over a Web browser. It can accelerate applications delivered by any protocol running over IP -- including IPSec, SSL, and user datagram protocol (UDP) -- or accessed via VPN. For example, the IP Application Accelerator service can optimize client/server apps such as CRM and ERP; VoIP; live chat; and administrative functions such as secure file transfers.

One key thing that’s different about the service is that it relies on local hardware (Akamai’s other application acceleration services are software-based.) With IP Application Accelerator, a pair of Akamai servers sits at each customer site, tied to the customer’s application servers. But enterprises don’t have to trouble themselves with the gateway devices, says Neil Cohen, Akamai’s senior product marketing manager. Akamai will install and maintain the devices in place at enterprise sites.

“This is a managed service, so the boxes are configured and remotely monitored by Akamai. The customer doesn’t buy the boxes or worry about administrating the boxes,” Cohen says. “It’s all part of the managed service offering and included in the regular monthly recurring revenue service.”

In addition, there’s no need to install client-side software, which makes it easier to support users who lie outside of IT’s direct control, such as remote or mobile employees, business partners and customers, Cohen says.

The new service builds off Akamai’s existing techniques for gauging and responding to Internet conditions, including dynamic mapping, route optimization and packet redundancy. It works in conjunction with Akamai’s distributed computing platform, which it calls EdgePlatform. The platform is a network of 25,000 servers in 69 countries that are equipped with software to tackle Internet congestion.

Ann Bednarz is associate news editor at Network World.